Decoding Life- Beyond Breaths!

‘Breath is Life’- No explanation is required to prove it or get convinced about it. However the irony is- The wise ones say that ninety nine per cent of us do not breathe properly! Not only that. As a matter of fact, we are ignorant about what depth is inherent when we equate it to life or our existence. Let’s try to unfold the underlying layers of what we term as ‘breath’ and identify the fundamental substratum, from where life actually sprouts. Once the basis is discovered, believe us, you will indeed gain a fabulous understanding about life itself and how to live it to the fullest!

Essentially there are three levels into which this subject can be bifurcated, subsequently taking us from the gross to the subtlest. Let’s begin with the gross level, the most outward expression of that energy which sustains us.

Physical Breath (the gross level)

From the gross perspective, breathing is a simple exercise of inhalation and exhalation, which works on its own, automatically. A breath, in turn, to us, often means taking in a few cubic centimetres of air (oxygen) and giving out some cubic centimetres of carbon dioxide. Of course, this information is true, but, it’s largely incomplete. However, it will be beneficial to imbibe the significance of even this gross definition of breath. Reason being, it will inspire us to adopt a healthier lifestyle and save ourselves from the deleterious outcomes with respect to our physical breath, which result from poor breathing.

What happens when we breathe in? The oxygen that we inhale gets mixed with the blood through the thin walls of the blood vessels of the lungs. This blood, which is bright red and bubbling with life-giving properties, starts from the left auricle of the heart, travels through the arteries and nourishes every part of the body. After infusing life in the body, it returns via another route to the right auricle of the heart, dull and loaded with the unwanted constituents, to be removed. From here, it is sent to the lungs.

Now the oxygen that we inhale reacts with the waste picked up by the blood from the entire body. Subsequently, … It gets released in the form of exhaled air, while we breathe out. … This process goes on with every breath, minute after minute, day after day and year after year, throughout our life.

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However, is this biological explanation all that constitutes a breath or, in turn, life? The answer might be affirmative from the western perspective. But, the land of India puts forth a yet deeper level pertaining to this subject.

To know this in toto, read the complete article in May’19 edition of English Akhand Gyan Monthly Magazine.